Crime scene cleaning is an important job that keeps businesses, homes and other places safe and sanitary. Crime scene cleaners clean up the scenes of crimes and show compassion to the people affected by them. If you’re interested in becoming a crime scene cleaner, then you may find it helpful to understand the steps to take to get a job in crime scene cleaning. In this article, we explain what a crime scene cleaner is, how to become a crime scene cleaner and frequently asked questions related to being a crime scene cleaner.
What is a crime scene cleaner?
A crime scene cleaner is a trained professional who specializes in cleaning crime scenes. Typically, after investigations are complete, crime scene cleaners enter homes, businesses and other places where crimes or industrial accidents occurred. Crime scene cleaners are important because they can safely sanitize an area and help families and businesses who have experienced challenging events by demonstrating compassion.
What does a crime scene cleaner do?
Crime scene cleaners use cleaning tools and special chemicals to sanitize areas of crimes or traumatic events. They typically deal with biohazards and other hazardous materials. Because of this, crime scene cleaners learn to follow specific health guidelines to protect themselves and to make spaces safe and sanitized.
How to become a crime scene cleaner
If you are interested in becoming a crime scene cleaner, consider following these steps:
1. Complete training and earn certifications
Though formal education is usually optional to become a crime scene cleaner, you may need to complete some specialized training before beginning this career. There are many useful training and certification programs for crime scene investigators, including biohazard handling training, personal protective equipment training and pathogen training. Getting trained in these areas can help ensure that you can perform your job as a crime scene cleaner safely and effectively.
2. Create a resume
The next step to getting a job as a crime scene cleaner is creating a resume that lists your qualifications. Your resume should include your contact information, education, work experience, skills and certifications. You can focus the information you include in your resume on skills and experiences related to crime scene cleaning to show potential employers that you are qualified to become a crime scene cleaner. Since this job involves interpersonal skills and communication, consider making a section to highlight your soft and technical skills.
3. Apply for jobs
After you’ve created a great resume, you can begin applying for jobs. You can search for crime scene cleaner jobs through job boards, social media sites and search engines. Additionally, you can contact crime scene cleaning companies directly to inquire about open positions.
4. Interview
The next step in getting a job as a crime scene cleaner is completing an interview. During your interview, come prepared to discuss your skills and certifications that are relevant to working as a crime scene cleaner. This can help show your interviewer that you have the experience and qualifications necessary to become a crime scene cleaner, which may increase your chances of getting the role.
5. Complete on-the-job training
Once you get a job as a crime scene cleaner, you may need to complete additional crime scene cleaning training courses and on-the-job training. Cleaning companies may set their own guidelines around training and professional development. Over time, you may also need to renew your existing certifications. This can help you ensure you know how to do your job safely and thoroughly.
6. Get support
Cleaning crime scenes is an important role that helps keeps people and places safe, but it can be a challenging position. To be prepared for this, you may consider joining a support group or having a system in place for when you need emotional support. Having a plan could help you take care of your emotional health as a crime scene cleaner.
Crime scene cleaner FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions related to being a crime scene cleaner:
How is crime scene cleaning different from other cleaning jobs?
Crime scene cleaning differs from other types of cleaning jobs because of the types of hazardous materials involved in cleaning up crime scenes Crime scene cleaners complete training to handle biohazards and other materials, and they must follow standards and regulations for dealing with medical waste and biological materials. Additionally, crime scene cleaners use special tools, chemicals and procedures to clean and sanitize spaces so that they are safe for people to return to. They may also work irregular hours to provide emergency cleaning services.
What skills should crime scene cleaners have?
Crime scene cleaners typically have both soft skills and specific crime scene cleaning skills. Useful skills for crime scene cleaners include:
Attention to detail: In order to clean and sanitize spaces, crime scene cleaners should have exceptional attention to detail.
Compassion: Crime scene cleaners often interact with people who have experienced challenging events, so compassion is an essential soft skill in this occupation.
Interpersonal communication: Crime scene cleaners should possess skills in interpersonal communication to communicate effectively with clients.
Biohazard knowledge: Knowing how to deal with biohazards and other dangerous materials is crucial for crime scene cleaners to perform their jobs safely.
Physical stamina: Crime scene cleaning can require physical exertion, so crime scene cleaners should be physically fit to clean thoroughly and effectively.
What is the salary and job outlook of a crime scene cleaner?
The salaries of crime scene cleaners can vary, but crime scene cleaning jobs may pay more than other cleaning jobs because of the specialized skills and training required for crime scene cleaners. People who work as hazardous material removal workers, a related job, typically make around $45,270 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Additionally, the BLS expects hazardous material cleaning occupations to grow 8% from 2019 to 2029.
